Every Dog Has Its Day | James Thomas

Every Dog Has Its Day by South African artist, James Thomas,  mixed media, 2024 - James Thomas (b.1996) is a visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He works in a range of mediums - oil paint, acrylic, pastel and charcoal on canvas and found objects salvaged from the street.The artist has spent intimate time as a skateboarder on the streets of the inner-city since the age of eleven. This gave him a unique and nuanced view of the visual, socio-political and ambient landscape of the metropolis. An interest in documenting his experiences in the city developed into an obsession as he began to work in various downtown clubs and bars. What began as writing, became drawing and eventually gave way to large-scale paintings.Through these experiences Thomas has created art with a journalistic approach. He captures, anecdotally and personally, what it means to live in Johannesburg in the 21st century. The work draws from the nature of city: Organised chaos.Words are scrawled on the canvas as if a store front or bus stop.The colours are harsh and monochromatic and then colourful and vibrant. The harsh dualities present in the city are emphasised by contrasting elements of abstraction and realism. The compositions are at odds with one another and in a state of harmony simultaneously.